What an incredible opportunity and honor to be in DC at The Corps Network Conference and see so many different Corps – all with different program models, specific types of projects, different demographics, and a variety of scales from small Corps focused in a single neighborhood within a city or to a collection of Corps serving multiple states. The common thread? A focus on providing opportunities for young people to serve in our communities, learning and working together, and leaving a lasting legacy of positive change.
Press Release: VYCC and the State of Vermont Put Clean Water Funds and Youth to Work
During the 2018 field season, supported by funding from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC), Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) youth and young adult crews completed 27 weeks of work to directly address erosion and nutrient pollution in surface water across the state. These issues directly contribute to the deteriorating health of Vermont’s rivers, ponds, and lakes and are what the state’s Clean Water Act was created to address.
Vermont Youth Conservation Corps Planted Trees at State’s Newest WMA
With support from the Habitat Stamp, the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps worked directly with state wildlife biologists to improve habitat on the state’s newest wildlife management area, Windsor Grasslands WMA. More than five years in the making the Windsor Grasslands WMA restoration project was first envisioned to restore wetlands affected by past agricultural uses. Under the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s new ownership, the health of the property’s wetlands, streams, and forests, are being restored. These efforts will benefit the entire watershed downstream.
2018 All Corps Season Recap
280 individual VYCC corps members worked from as early as March all the way until the end of November on our Farm and Conservation crews. From sowing seeds, to improving state park infrastructures, to removing invasive species, to harvesting organic vegetables for Vermonters in need, our crews learned, earned, and yearned to make their communities better. Our crews spread across New York State, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and of course every county in Vermont.
WGDR “Recreation Radio” with guests WashCo Crew
In July, WGDR, Plainfield Community Radio host Walter Opuszynski had our Washington County Community Crew (WashCo) on his show to talk about their work in the area.
Part of Take The Lake initiative to encourage fitness in Columbus County
“The official opening its part of the Take The Lake event. People could walk across the dam to do the 14-mile event, but that could be dangerous or impossible if the water was running too high. Now, they can dismount and push their bikes across the bridge and around the 1.8-mile section of shoreline between the dam and the campground parking lot. The Youth Conservation Corps, made up of 16- and 17-year-olds, helped clear the trail, which had fallen trees blocking it after Hurricane Matthew.”
Why Is Fire Orange?
But fires aren't always an emergency, so later in the episode we'll sit around a campfire with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps and appreciate the warmth of the glowing flames.
Vermont Fish & Wildlife and VYCC Partner To Expand Accessibility At Snake Mountain
In July, VYCC’s Spike 5 crew tackled a substernal trails assessment and repair project for the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife (F&W) on Snake Mountain. The crew worked with Ariel Burgess, field staff for F&W, to hike the Snake Mountain Summit Trail in its entirety, assessing and flagging trail features in need of maintenance.
Vermont’s Return on Investment in Land Conservation: A Report Release
Join us to hear the results of a ground-breaking study that shows the connection of land conservation to the Vermont economy and jobs, including: natural goods and services, recreation, fishing, hunting, farming, timber, tourism, and more